Come, Holy Spirit, fill our hearts to overflowing and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Opening Prayer:

Send down, O God, upon your people the flame of your Holy Spirit, and fill us with your presence and power. May your life-giving Spirit lend fire to our words and strength to our witness. Send us forth to the nations of the world to proclaim with boldness your wondrous work of raising Christ to your right hand. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.
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“Holy Spirit” – Francesca Battistelli

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A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles: Acts 2:1-11 (NLT)
[The events of the first Pentecost Day are described.]

The Holy Spirit Comes

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

Pentecost Tapestry

At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!”
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A Reading from the Psalms: Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34 (NLT)

Let all that I am praise the Lord. O Lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty.
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O Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures.
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But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth.
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May the glory of the Lord continue forever! The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made!
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May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
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Psalm 104 – Psalm Project Africa

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A Reading from the Letters: Romans 8: 8-17 (NLT)
[God gives us life through the Spirit at work in us.]

Those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
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A Reading from the Gospels: John 14: 15-16, 23-26 (NLT)
[The Holy Spirit reminds us of all Jesus has said.]

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.
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Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
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Hymn: “Come Holy Spirit”

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Intercessory Prayer:

Conscious of the Spirit praying within us, we present our petitions at the throne of grace with confidence.

+ That the Holy Spirit may breathe new life into church leaders around the world…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may help those who were baptized and confirmed this year to grow in grace…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may be close to every Christian persecuted for his/her faith…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may bring healing to all who are sick and suffering…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may pour our gifts of prophecy on our sons and daughters…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may give young men visions and cause old men to dream dreams…. Lord, hear us.
+ That the Holy Spirit may raise to life all those who have died in Christ and lead them home to heaven…. Lord, hear us.

God our creator, your Spirit brings us life and sustains us throughout our days: hear these prayers we are inspired to make, through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
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